Native Tribes Protest Energy Transfer Partners North Dakota Oil Pipelineby Richard Smallteacher, CorpWatch BlogOctober 3rd, 2016Representatives of some 280 indigenous nations have joined a protest on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota to oppose the construction of an oil pipeline by Energy Transfer Partners. If completed, the Dakota Access Pipeline is expected to help move 570,000 barrels of crude daily to Illinois.

Zupta Scandal Causes South African Government To Intervene To Save Indian Investorby Richard Smallteacher, Special to CorpWatchApril 29th, 2016The South African government has intervened to support the Indian-born Gupta brothers, owners of a sprawling conglomerate with interests from mining to media, following a scandal that suggested that the brothers had accumulated so much power that they could dictate cabinet-level decisions in the country.

Malaysian Palm Oil Giant, IOI, Suspended By Industry Body Over Environmental Recordby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogApril 11th, 2016IOI, the second largest producer of palm oil in Malaysia, has been kicked out of an industry group that certifies sustainability practices, for environmental and labor violations. As a result, dozens of companies, including the makers of Dove soap, M&M's and Kellogg's Corn Flakes, have stopped buying from IOI.

Barrick Gold Compensates Rape Victims in Papua New Guineaby Richard Smallteacher, CorpWatch BlogApril 2nd, 2015Barrick Gold, the world’s largest gold mining company, has agreed to compensate 14 individuals for violent acts committed near the Porgera mine in Papua New Guinea. Eleven of the cases involved sexual violence such as rape. Some 120 others had previously accepted cash settlements of about $10,000.

Shell Pays Niger Delta Community $84 Million To Settle Pollution Claimsby Fatima Hansia, CorpWatch BlogFebruary 5th, 2015The Bodo community in the Niger delta will get £55 million ($84 million) to settle claims of environmental pollution by the Nigerian subsidiary of Shell, the Anglo-Dutch oil giant. Despite the relatively large settlement, many other pollution claims by Nigerian communities affected by Shell remain unresolved.

Families of Murdered Colombians Lose U.S. Lawsuit Against Occidental Petroleumby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogDecember 15th, 2014A U.S. court has refused to allow family members of three murdered Colombian union leaders the opportunity to sue Occidental Petroleum. The families claimed that the Los Angeles based company should be held responsible since it allegedly provided financial support for the military unit that killed the men.

Firestone Tire's Role in Funding Liberian Warlord Revealedby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogNovember 19th, 2014Firestone, a U.S. tire company, paid out millions of dollars to Charles Taylor, a Liberian warlord in the 1990s, despite knowing about his brutal human rights record, according to documents uncovered by ProPublica, an investigative journalism website. Taylor is now serving a 50 year prison sentence for war crimes.

Secwepemc Tribes Fight New Mines and Old Laws in British Columbiaby Richard Smallteacher, CorpWatch BlogOctober 22nd, 2014Indigenous activists burned down a bridge in British Columbia, Canada, to prevent Imperial Metals from starting a lead and zinc mine on the lands of the Secwepemc peoples. Local tribes say that the mine may severely impact the one of the largest remaining sockeye salmon populations in the world.

Ten Killed At African Barrick Operations in Tanzaniaby Richard Smallteacher, CorpWatch BlogAugust 26th, 2014As many as 10 people have been killed by police this year at African Barrick Gold's operations in Tanzania, according to a new report from two NGOs - MiningWatch Canada and Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID) in the UK.

Coca-Cola Forced To Shut Bottling Plant in Indiaby Fatima Hansia, CorpWatch BlogJuly 10th, 2014Coca-Cola, the world’s largest beverage producer, has been ordered to shut down its bottling plant in Varanasi, India following local complaints that the company was drawing excessive amounts of groundwater. After an investigation, government authorities ruled that the company had violated its operating license.

Soco International Says It Will Cancel Oil Exploration in Congo's Virunga Parkby Fatima Hansia, CorpWatch Blog June 23rd, 2014Soco International PLC, a UK oil company, has claimed that it will halt oil exploration in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following complaints by local communities and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) about the potential environmental impact.

Peabody Coal Accused of False Advertising for Claiming to Stop Energy Povertyby Rozali Telbis, CorpWatch BlogApril 28th, 2014 WWF Europe has filed a complaint for false advertising against Peabody Energy, the world’s largest coal mining company, after the company began a campaign to promote the use of coal in developing countries, claiming that so-called "clean coal" technology could eradicate poverty.

Anglo American Workers Strike Against Contract Labor Conditions in Chileby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogMarch 25th, 2014Some 4,000 contract workers at Los Bronces copper mine in Chile went on strike against Anglo American, a UK-based mining multinational from South Africa. The strike is the latest in a series of protests against the Chilean copper industry, the world’s largest producers of the metal.

Unpublished Audit of Kaloti Reveal Conflicts Over Gold Tradeby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogFebruary 28th, 2014A whistleblower who previously worked for Ernst & Young, the international auditing firm, has alleged that his bosses turned a blind eye to discoveries that Kaloti Jewellery International – one of the world’s biggest gold companies - dealt in minerals from undocumented sources that may have included conflict zones.

Sámi Fight Iron Mine in Reindeer Countryby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogDecember 29th, 2013This past Christmas, while children around the world wrote letters to Santa Claus whom they believed would deliver presents to them in a sleigh drawn by the mythical Rudolph, the actual human companions of the Arctic reindeer spent their holidays worrying about Beowulf, a British mining company.

Fracking Argentina: Chevron Teams Up With YPFby Richard SmallteacherOctober 16th, 2013YPF, the Argentinian state-owned oil company, has signed an agreement with Chevron in the U.S. to extract shale gas and oil using fracking technology in the southern Andes mountains. Local environmental and indigenous activists are gearing up for a fight to stop the controversial technology.

Privatization Profiteers from Pinochet’s Chile May Yet Face Prisonby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogSeptember 17th, 2013Julio Ponce, the billionaire owner of Sociedad Quimica & Minera de Chile (SQM), faces ten years in prison for insider trading. A beneficiary of former dictator General Augusto Pinochet, Ponce is charged with buying company shares at below market prices and selling them at a profit.

Battle of Balcombe: Opposition to Cuadrilla Resources UK Fracking Plansby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogJuly 31st, 2013The idyllic village of Balcombe, just south of London, is a stronghold of the Conservative party. Just the sort of place that one might imagine cheering on industry plans to drill for natural gas and applaud the tax breaks that the government has offered to industry.

Halliburton Admits Guilt in Gulf of Mexico Cover-Upby Richard Smallteacher, CorpWatch BlogJuly 26th, 2013Halliburton has admitted that it destroyed evidence after the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. The company has agreed to pay a $200,000 fine, make a donation of $55 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and accept three years of probation.

Lobbyists for Canadian Pipeline Have Deep Ties to White Houseby Pratap ChatterjeeMay 31st, 2013TransCanada and the provincial government of Alberta are paying former advisors to the Obama administration - as well as former staff of the Hillary Clinton and John Kerry presidential campaigns - to help them lobby for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline to transport tar sands fuel to the U.S.

Arch Coal Denied Permission to Blow Up West Virginia Mountainby Puck Lo, CorpWatch BlogApril 25th, 2013A subsidiary of Arch Coal of St. Louis, Missouri, was denied permission to dump nearly three billion cubic feet of dirt into local headwater streams after blowing up a mountain in West Virginia. The object was to extract coal from a project known as the Spruce No. 1 Surface Mine.

Arch Coal Wants Permission to Blow Up West Virginia Mountainby Puck Lo, CorpWatch BlogApril 24th, 2013A subsidiary of Arch Coal of St. Louis, Missouri, wants permission to dump nearly three billion cubic feet of dirt into local headwater streams after blowing up a mountain in West Virginia. The object is to extract coal from a project known as the Spruce No. 1 Surface Mine.

Alstom Officials Paid Bribes To Win Indonesian Coal Contracts
by Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogApril 22nd, 2013Alstom, a French engineering company, has been accused of bribing Indonesian officials to win a lucrative contract to build coal power plans in Sumatra. Frederic Pierucci, a French employee of the company, was arrested and David Rothschild, a U.S. employee, has pled guilty.

Guatemalan Lawsuit Against Canadian Mining Giant May Set Precedentby Jennifer Kennedy, CorpWatch BlogApril 19th, 2013A lawsuit against HudBay Minerals in Canada for human rights abuses in Guatemala is the next case to watch for corporate accountability activists after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a case against Shell for aiding and abetting human rights abuses in Nigeria.

U.S. Supreme Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against Shell in Nigeriaby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogApril 17th, 2013In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit against Shell in Nigeria for human rights abuses in the Ogoni region. The ruling effectively blocks other lawsuits against foreign multinationals for human rights abuse that have occurred overseas from being brought in U.S. courts.

Protests Against Posco Steel Plant Mount In Indiaby Freny Manecksha, CorpWatch BlogApril 14th, 2013For over a month, villagers in the eastern Indian state of Odisha have been conducting a sit-in to demand the withdrawal of armed police officers at the site of a proposed $12 billion steel complex to be built by Pohang Iron and Steel Company (POSCO) of South Korea.

South African Gold Miners Sue Over Deadly Lung Diseaseby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogJanuary 3rd, 2013Thousands of gold miners have asked permission from South African courts to sue some 30 mining companies over negligence in health and safety that the miners allege has caused them to contract silicosis, a debilitating and potentially fatal lung disease.

Damming the Ngäbe: Aftermath of an AES Power Project in Panamaby Jennifer KennedyOctober 15th, 2012Well over a year after AES Corporation, a U.S. based power company headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, inundated the lands of the Ngäbe to build a hydroelectric dam in Panama, many in the community remains dispossessed.

Mongolian Nomadic Herders Worry About Impact of Rio Tinto's Gold Mineby Puck Lo, CorpWatch BlogSeptember 24th, 2012Mongolian livestock herders are worried that a series of massive gold and copper mining projects spearheaded by UK-based Rio Tinto will dry up scarce water reserves and exacerbate desertification in the delicate Gobi Desert when operations begin next year to tap one of the world’s largest copper and gold deposits.

Cameroon Palm Oil Plantation Withdraws Sustainability Applicationby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogSeptember 6th, 2012A subsidiary of Herakles Capital, a New York based investment firm, has decided to cancel its application to join the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) after environmental groups alleged that its 73,086 hectare project in southwestern Cameroon would threaten the sustainability of the local community.

Grupo San Jose Linked to Bulldozing of Land of Paraguayan Uncontacted Tribeby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogAugust 27th, 2012Grupo San Jose, a Spanish construction company, has been linked to the bulldozing the forest home of the Ayoreo, one of the last uncontacted tribes outside the Amazon. The indigenous community lives in the Chaco forests, a semi-arid zone in northern Paraguay.

Obama Administration Backs Shell in Supreme Court Caseby Puck Lo, CorpWatch BlogAugust 24th, 2012The Obama administration is backing Shell Oil after abruptly changing sides in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that could make it even more difficult for survivors of human rights abuses overseas to sue multinational corporations in federal courts. The case will be heard on October 1.

Turmoil at South Africa’s Platinum Minesby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogAugust 23rd, 2012A third wildcat strike this year has closed yet another South African platinum mine less than a week after the police opened fire and killed 34 miners at the Lonmin mine north of Johannesburg. One reason for the clash is a war between rival unions.

Congo Copper Mine Deals Questionedby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogAugust 2nd, 2012Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation has won a $101.5 million license to dig for copper in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The company has been questioned by Global Witness for possible links to corrupt Congolese officials.

Malaysian Water Company Claims To Have Run Dryby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogAugust 1st, 2012Syabas, a private water company in Malaysia, has threatened to start water rationing in the state of Selangor after claiming that it had almost no water reserves left. Critics claim that the threat is a ploy to win more lucrative contracts and to favor a rival political party.

Bolivia pushes back against Swiss commodities giant Glencoreby Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero, CorpWatch BlogJuly 24th, 2012Glencore corporation, the secretive Swiss commodities giant which has become one of the world's biggest trader of grain, oil and minerals, has hit an unlikely roadblock. The Bolivian government nationalized the Colquiri tin and zinc mine, the third Glencore asset to be seized by the state in five years.

Fracking Billionaire Faces Shareholder Angerby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogJune 8th, 2012Aubrey McClendon, the founder and CEO of Oklahoma-based Chesapeake Energy, who championed natural gas to the extent of paying environmental groups to oppose coal, is facing angry shareholders for his profligate ways. Chesapeake is one of the leading users of fracking - an environmentally questionable method of extracting natural gas.

Ikea Furniture Made From Ancient Russian Treesby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogMay 31st, 2012Kalevala, a 19th century epic poem from Finland, was inspired by traditional verses from the ancient forests on the border of central Finland and Russia. Today some of the 600 year old trees around the Kalevala national park are being chopped up to make cheap furniture for Ikea, according to activists.

Faking Happiness: Activists Strike Back at Vedanta Ad Campaignby Freny Manecksha, CorpWatch BlogMay 30th, 2012Vedanta Resources, a UK based mining and metals company with numerous projects in India, is attempting to claim to be social responsible via a huge advertising campaign. However activists have struck back by effectively using social media tools to counter Vedanta's claims.

Repsol Sues Argentina for $10 Billion Over YPF Nationalizationby Carmelo Ruiz-Marrero, CorpWatch BlogMay 18th, 2012Repsol, a multinational based in Spain, has brought a class action lawsuit in New York courts against the Argentine government for the re-nationalization of YPF, the former Argentine state oil company. Environmentalists question both parties over the impact of the company.

Enbridge, Bank of America CEOs Targeted for Extreme Energy Impactsby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogMay 10th, 2012Protestors targeted annual general meetings of Enbridge and Bank of America this week for the devastating environmental consequences of extracting energy from two new and unconventional sources: tar sands and mountain top coal.

North Dakota Shale Boom Displaces Tribal Residentsby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogApril 25th, 2012A shale oil boom in North Dakota is displacing residents from the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Fires light up the sky every night as natural gas is flared off while the ground water has been contaminated with toxic chemicals.

Lukoil Threatens Arctic Reindeerby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogApril 23rd, 2012An oil spill in northern Russia from a joint venture between Lukoil and Bashneft has damaged fragile reindeer pastures in yet another blow to the indigenous Nenets people. Environmental activists have warned about such disasters for decades but few precautions have been taken by the oil companies.

Glencore Allegedly Buys Copper From Ten Year Old Minersby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogApril 17th, 2012Children as young as ten in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, dig for cobalt and copper which they then sell to Switzerland-based Glencore, the world’s largest commodities company, according to a new BBC investigation.

Peru’s Illegal Hardwood Timber Trade
by Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogApril 11th, 2012Grupo Bozovich - Peru's biggest hardwood exporter - has been accused of harvesting illegal timber, in a new report by the Environmental Investigation Agency. The Laundering Machine report claims that many of the timber certificates do not represent the actual source of the wood.

Green Tribunal Weighs Multinational Projects in Indiaby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogApril 9th, 2012Two controversial multinational projects in Orissa, an eastern Indian state, face high level decisions in the next few weeks: a bauxite mine in the Niyamgiri hills planned by Vedanta of the UK and an iron and steel refinery in Jagatsinghpur being developed by POSCO of South Korea.

Fracking South Africaby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogMarch 29th, 2012The Karoo desert in the Western Cape region of South Africa is threatened by companies like Shell, the Anglo-Dutch oil company, Falcon Oil & Gas and Bundu Oil & Gas that want to frack for natural gas.

Chevron & Transocean Back in the Dock Over Oil Spillsby Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogMarch 22nd, 2012Brazil has demanded that 17 Chevron and Transocean executives surrender their passports while they await the outcome of criminal charges brought against them for a spill that took place off the coast of Rio de Janeiro last November. Both companies have been in trouble for similar problems in the past.

U.S. Supreme Court: Can Multinationals Be Sued for Crimes?by Pratap Chatterjee, CorpWatch BlogMarch 1st, 2012Barinem Kiobel was executed on November 10, 1995 by the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha of Nigeria. Almost 16 years later, the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to decide whether Shell, the Anglo-Dutch oil multinational, can be held responsible for his death.

Green Deserts: The Palm Oil Conflictby Melody Kemp, Special to CorpWatchFebruary 16th, 2012Wilmar of Singapore, the world’s biggest global processor and merchandiser of palm oil, has come in for harsh criticism for the environmental and social impact of its Indonesian plantations. The allegations also raise serious questions about the role of WWF and the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil.

Keystone Pipeline Faces Indigenous Trans-Border Oppositionby Geoff Dembicki, Special to CorpWatchOctober 4th, 2011TransCanada is seeking permission to build a 1,661-mile-long oil pipeline to carry crude from Alberta's oil sands to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. Tribal leaders from both sides of the border have joined environmental activists to oppose the project.

Burmese Crossroads: Oil & Gas Rush Stokes Civil Warby Matthew F Smith, Special to CorpWatchJuly 26th, 2011Chinese and South Korean companies are leading an investor rush to Burma to build lucrative cross-country pipelines to deliver Saudi oil and Burmese natural gas to China. Poor communities have been displaced and allegations of human rights abuses are rife in the pipeline's route.

Toxic Pop: How Tar Sands Fuel Disposable Cansby Geoff Dembicki, Special to CorpWatchJuly 11th, 2011One in six of the 100 billion soda, beer, and juice cans cracked open by North Americans each year owe their existence to an industrial product manufactured from Alberta’s tar sands. The result is an environmental disaster for Canada as well as a major contributor to global warming.

Killing Clean Energy Lawsby Geoff Dembicki, Special to CorpWatchMay 5th, 2011Tar sands from Alberta have enabled Canada to become the largest supplier of crude oil to the U.S. Tom Corcoran, a Washington lobbyist, is paid to promote this rapidly growing industry that produces some of the most emissions-heavy gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel on the planet.

Gulf Dispersants: BP and Nalco Play Toxic Rouletteby Terry J. Allen, Special to CorpWatchJuly 19th, 2010BP has dumped almost two million gallons of dispersants from Nalco in the Gulf of Mexico that is disguising the extent of the Deepwater spill and the inability of existing technology to mitigate the disaster. Even if BP eventually staunches the hemorrhage of oil, devastating toxins will linger for decades.

ADM's New Frontiers: Palm Oil Deforestation and Child Labor
by Charlie Cray, Special to CorpWatchMay 18th, 2010ADM has moved beyond the days of blatant price-fixing that landed its top execs behind bars. But the company's forays into new global agricultural markets bring charges of complicity in forced child labor and rampant deforestation. Critics assert that the conglomerate's embrace of self- regulation and voluntary guidelines is but a cynical ploy to deter effective reform.

BP: Beyond Petroleum or Beyond Preposterous? (2000)by Kenny BrunoMay 12th, 2010In 2000 British Petroleum launched an expensive ad campaign, re-branding its corporate image into the eco-friendly "BP: Beyond Petroleum.” We said it then. When a company spends more on advertising its environmental friendliness than on environmental actions, that's greenwash.
Three long weeks into the BP oil disaster roiling the Gulf of Mexico, CorpWatch's December 2000 skewering of its new image sadly, bears repeating.

Protesters in Eastern India Battle Against Mining Giant Arcelor Mittalby Moushumi Basu, Special to CorpWatch March 2nd, 2010In the rural, tribal lands of Eastern India, protesters are going head-to-head with world steel giant Arcelor Mittal. “We may give away our lives, but we will not part with an inch of our ancestral land," the villagers cry. "The forest, rivers and land are ours. We don't want factories, steel or iron. Arcelor Mittal Go Back.”

The Enbridge Oil Sands Gambleby Andrew Nikiforuk, Special to CorpWatch December 14th, 2009Patrick Daniel, the CEO of Enbridge Inc, is bullish about the future of unconventional oil from Canada’s massive tar sand deposits. His company not only operates North America’s longest crude oil and liquid pipelines, but transports 12 percent of the oil that the U.S. imports daily. Canada’s bitumen, or dirty crude, lies under a forest area the size of England and is arguably the world’s last remaining giant oil field.

Uranium Corporation of India Limited: Wasting Away Tribal Landsby Moushumi Basu, Special to CorpWatch October 7th, 2009In Eastern India's Jharkand State, tensions are mounting between Indigenous tribal communities and the Uranium Corporation of India Limited, or UCIL. Heavy security at a May public hearing in Jadugoda prevented many local activists and villagers from entering. But outside the hearing, activists from the Jharkhandi Organization Against Radiation (JOAR) argued their case for protecting their health and the environment from horrific impacts of radioactive contaminated waste resulting from uranium mining.

Damming Magdalena: Emgesa Threatens Colombian Communitiesby Jonathan Luna, Special to CorpWatch July 21st, 2009Near the town of La Jagua, overlooking the Magdalena River, the landscape is dotted with concrete markers declaring the land, river, and everything else a “public utility” that Colombia has given to the energy company Emgesa as part of the Quimbo Hydroelectric Project. A construction permit was granted in May, with the dam scheduled for full operation by 2014.

Goa Cursed By Its Mineral Wealthby Emily Bild, Special to CorpWatchApril 23rd, 2009Set on India's west coast, Goa is renowned as a beach paradise popular with Indian and foreign tourists alike. Just a few miles inland from the quaint restaurants and the pristine waves lapping the silver shores of India's smallest state, iron-ore mining is destroying the environment, say activists and locals.

Regulating Ramatex: Authorities Shut Out as Malaysian Investor Threatens Namibian Environmentby Moses Magadza, Special to CorpWatch April 5th, 2009For nearly six years Ramatex Textile and Garment Factory barred government regulators from entering industrial premises leased from the City of Windhoek. Ramatex came to Namibia in 2001, lured by the newly implemented African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Evidence of environmental violations finally emerged after the company absconded.

Xstrata Dreaming: The Struggle of Aboriginal Australians against a Swiss Mining Giantby Michael Deibert, Special to CorpWatch February 16th, 2009The McArthur River winds through Australia’s remote Northern Territory, home to four main Aboriginal linguistic groups: the Gurdanji, Yanyuwa, Garawa and Mara. Earlier this month Australian Minister for Environment Peter Garrett announced conditional approval for a bid by Swiss mining giant Xstrata to expand its zinc mining operations in the sacred McArthur River floodplain.

Norilsk Nickel: A Tale of Unbridled Capitalism, Russian Styleby Anton Foek, Special to CorpWatch October 9th, 2008The launch of Russia’s stock markets in the early 90s and privatization of state assets has profoundly impacted Russian society. As the case of mining giant Norilsk Nickel illustrates, this experiment has given rise to both immense personal wealth for a new elite, and economic uncertainty for the ordinary citizen.

Ducking Responsibility: Entergy Spins Its Nukesby Shay Totten, Special to CorpWatch August 4th, 2008Entergy Nuclear (part of the broader Entergy energy family) is spinning off its northeastern U.S.-based nuclear power plants into a related limited liability corporation, Enexus. Stakeholders in Vermont, home of the Yankee Nuclear power plant, are less than happy, with Entergy also reneging on prior commitments to cover eventual plant decommissioning costs, potentially stranding taxpayers with much of the bill.

Dark Side of the Tourist Boom: Cruise Ship Controversies Cross Borders by Kent Paterson, Special to CorpWatch July 9th, 2008The Mexican Pacific resort of Zihuatanejo recently cancelled a major new cruise ship terminal, giving a victory to environmental activists and other opponents. However, Mexico remains the world’s Number One cruise ship destination; and with little regulation, allegations of onboard crime, and increasing militarization as regards security while ships are in port, the rapidly expanding industry is facing new challenges.

Crossing the Wayúu: Pipeline Divides Indigenous Lands in South America by Jonathan Luna , Special to CorpWatch June 5th, 2008Touted as the first step in a major regional integration project, the 225-kilometer TransCaribe pipeline travels underground across Colombia's Guajira Peninsula to the gas refineries of Maracaibo, Venezuela. Protesting the mega project's impacts on the peninsula's indigenous communities, the Wayúu community of Mashiis-Manaa is leading the struggle against oil giant Petróleos de Venezuela.

Suing the Smelter: Oklahoma Town Takes on Freeportby Eliza Strickland, Special to CorpWatch May 15th, 2008Residents of the town of Blackwell, Oklahoma have brought a class action lawsuit against mining giant Freeport McMoRan. The plaintiffs say that the company's zinc smelter, which closed in 1974, left a toxic legacy in the town, including contaminated sand from the smelter that was given away for free.

Booming Chinese Demand Has Ripples Down Under In Queenslandby Patrick O'Keeffe, Special to CorpWatch April 16th, 2008A bauxite mine and a proposed refinery in northern Queensland, Australia, to be developed by a Chinese mineral company, has divided local and traditional landowners. Part of a major industrialization scheme, it has also sparked worries among environmentalists.

Smokestack Injustice? Toxic Texas Smelter May Reopenby Kent Paterson, Special to CorpWatch April 2nd, 2008The old American Smelting and Refining Company (Asarco) copper smelter in El Paso, Texas, which has spewed out toxins for over a century, has been granted a new five-year permit. This is despite the fact that it violates international laws by polluting communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Ecuador's Yasuni Park: Oil Exploration or Nature Protection?by Agneta Enström, Special to CorpWatch March 20th, 2008Permission for Petrobras of Brazil to drill for oil in Yasuni National Park, one of the most biologically diverse places in the world, has been suspended, but some damage has already been done by Swedish construction giant Skanska. Unless new money is found to protect the forest, exploration may resume.

Climate Change Debate Fuels Greenwash Boomby Pratap Chatterjee, Special to CorpWatch December 11th, 2007On the Indonesian island of Bali, thousands of senior government officials are negotiating a plan to slow global warming. The coal, gas and oil companies that are major producers of greenhouse gases are finally taking notice of these high-level political discussions, and many have mounted spirited public relations exercises to defend themselves.

Titanium or Water? Trouble brews in Southern Indiaby Nityanand Jayaraman, Special to CorpWatch October 24th, 2007Tata, India's largest conglomerate, wants to take 10,000 acres of land to mine ilmenite in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The plan has sparked protests by local villagers who say the project will destroy their traditional way of life and the environment.

Mud and the Minister: A Tale of Woe in Javaby Anton Foek, Special to CorpWatchJuly 20th, 2007Over a year after a torrent of liquid mud at an Indonesian oil exploration site inundated four villages, killing almost 100 people, the local community is still awaiting clean-up and proper compensation. This is despite the fact that the drilling company is owned by the family of a senior Indonesian minister.

Speaking Diné to Dirty Power: Navajo Challenge New Coal-Fired Plantby Jeff Conant, Special to CorpWatchApril 3rd, 2007A small, but growing, group of Diné indigenous peoples in New Mexico are protesting against a planned new huge coal-fired power plant. This is one of 150 similar plants scheduled to supply an anticipated boom in energy demand in the U.S.

Barrick Gold Mine Transforms Pacific Islandby David Martinez, Special to CorpWatchFebruary 21st, 2007Papua New Guinea, one of the world's largest islands, has fortunes in gold under its lush green mountains and a diversity of indigenous culture. The arrival of a Canadian mining company has brought violent clashes and transformed the indigenous lands forever.

A Proxy Battle: Shareholders vs. CEOsby Kevin Kelleher, Special to CorpWatchJune 13th, 2006Earnest shareholder resolutions presented at company annual general meetings on everything from human rights to executive compensation are routinely shot down in flames. But shareholder resolutions may have an effect, even in defeat.

Vedanta Undermines Indian Communitiesby Nityanand Jayaraman, Special to CorpwatchNovember 15th, 2005Vedanta, a fast growing British mining and aluminium production company founded by a billionaire expatriate Bombay businessman, threatens communities in India with environmental degradation and widespread pollution.

Mixing Occuption and Oil in Western Sahara
by Jacob Mundy, Special to CorpWatchJuly 21st, 2005Oklahoma-based Kerr-McGee's contract with Morocco to explore for oil and gain in the contested territory on the Atlantic coast of northern Africa is complicating a 30 year independence struggle.

Barrick Gold Strikes Opposition in South America by Glenn Walker, Special to CorpWatchJune 20th, 2005A proposal to "relocate" three Andean glaciers to mine for gold has local people up in arms. This billion dollar development could destroy a major source of clean water on the border of Argentina and Chile.

The Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline: BP’s Time Bomb by Hannah Ellis, Special to CorpWatchJune 2nd, 2005With their newly opened pipeline, British Petroleum (BP) is cutting a path of environmental and social irresponsibility from the Caspian to the Mediterranean.

'Tis the Season for Shareholder Activismby Jan Frel, Special to CorpWatchMay 4th, 2005Every spring, activists and investors attend annual general meetings to protest and meet face-to-face with CEOs and corporate boards. The goal is to place their agendas -- on everything from the environment to labor practices -- front and center.

Fighting the Big Gunns in Tasmaniaby Tom Price, Special to CorpWatchMarch 14th, 2005The war between the world's largest woodchip exporter, Gunns Limited, and the Australian conservation community has been raging for decades. But the company's recent efforts to silence Tasmanian activists through lawsuits could earn them millions and set a very dangerous precedent.
ALSO: BlueLinx Buys Illegal Indonesian Timber

The Carbon Brokersby Pratap Chatterjee, Special to CorpWatchFebruary 18th, 2005Traders are gearing up for a new futures market. These new carbon exchanges promise billions in potential profit, but will they save the planet?

Landmine of a Decisionby Michael McCrystal, Special to CorpWatchMay 28th, 2004Much is at stake for the people, economy, and environment of Namibia, where Rossing Uranium is deciding between ceasing operations or spending $100 million on a 20-year expansion of one of the world's largest mines.

ASIA: Storm Over Asian-Pacific Timber Tradeby Yoon Szu-Mae, Special to CorpWatchMarch 5th, 2004Rimbunan Hijau, a billion-dollar business owned by Malaysian tycoon Tiong Hiew King, has been engaging in illegal logging in South East Asia, while local governments turn a blind eye.

Argentina Water Privatization Scheme Runs Dryby Sebastian Hacher, Special to CorpWatchFebruary 26th, 2004Rio de la Plata is one of the few rivers of the world whose pollution can be seen from space. Making matters worse is the privatized water company Aguas Argentinas, which dumps sewage into the river a few kilometers from where it treats water for drinking.

Jordanian Privatization Extended to the Dead Seaby Oula Al Farawati, Special to CorpWatchDecember 9th, 2003Jordan is selling its stake in the flagship Arab Potash Company to the Canadian potash giant PCS as part of privatization efforts spearheaded by USAID.

MEXICO: Suez' World Water Warsby Deepa Fernandes, Special to CorpWatchSeptember 9th, 2003The latest battle in the war over privatization is being fought at the WTO negotiations in Cancun.

Coke in Varanasi: Facing Local Ireby Aflatoon, India Resource CenterJuly 10th, 2003On the 10th of May, 2003 about 100 people held a demonstration at the plant gate. Nearly 200 police personnel were deputed by the district authorities to 'protect' the plant along with 50 gun toting private security guards. While this agitation was suppressed by beating up the demonstrators to disperse them, local inhabitants are geared for a long struggle against the cola giant.

Coca-Cola: Continuing the Battle in Keralaby Surendranath C, India Resource CenterJuly 10th, 2003Plachimada, (Palakkad district) Kerala: The Coca Cola story in Plachimada is reminiscent of David versus the mighty Goliath. In the latest twist to the tale, the Kerala Government through the Secretary, Local Self Government Department (LSGD) has stayed the Perumatty Grama Panchayat's decision not to renew the license issued to the Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Ltd.

Communities Reject Coca-Cola in Indiaby Amit Srivastava, India Resource CenterJuly 10th, 2003Coca-Cola is in trouble in India. Communities have been fighting the multinational for depleting the groundwater and contaminating what's left. A Special Series from the India Resource Center.

Bechtel's Water Warsby Pratap Chatterjee, Special to CorpWatchMay 1st, 2003In November 2001 Bechtel sued the country of Bolivia for $25 million for canceling a contract to run the water system of Cochabamba, the third largest city in the country, after local people took to the streets to protest massive price hikes for water.

Busting the Water Cartelby Holly Wren Spaulding, Special to CorpWatchMarch 27th, 2003A report from inside the World Water Forum on the showdown between water privatizers and human rights activists.

WTO and the Fate of the World's Forestsby Victor Menotti, Special to CorpWatchNovember 1st, 2001At stake in upcoming WTO negotiations is the question of who will control and benefit from the world's forests.

MEXICO: Miners' Strike Broken in Revolutionary Cananeaby David Bacon, Special to CorpWatchMarch 12th, 1999In the mile-high mountains of the Sonora desert, just 25 miles south of the border between Arizona and Mexico, over two thousand miners have been locked in a bitter industrial war since mid-November. Here Grupo Mexico operates North America's oldest, and one of the world's largest copper mines -- Cananea -- in a town which has been a symbol of anti-government insurrection for almost 100 years.

Tom Beanal's Speech at Loyola University in New OrleansProject UndergroundMay 19th, 1997On May 23, 1996, Mr. Tom Beanal, leader of the Amungme Tribal Council and principal in a $6 billion suit against Freeport-McMoRan, spoke at Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Freeport McMoRan's Corporate ProfileProject UndergroundMay 19th, 1997Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc, headquartered in New Orleans, is one of the world's largest and lowest cost copper and gold producers, from its Grasberg mine in Irian Jaya. In 1996 it was regarded as one of the ten worst corporations by the Multinational Monitor magazine.

Global Gold Rushby Joshua Karliner, CorpWatchMay 19th, 1997Gold is an intoxicating substance. Witness the rapidity with which investors threw their money into a relatively obscure Canadian mining corporation called Bre-X, when that company claimed to have discovered the largest single deposit of the metal in history.